A large number of people use multiple mobile devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), global positioning system (GPS) devices, weather monitors, and the like for a wide variety of purposes. People often keep their mobile device with them wherever they go, either as hand-held devices, multi-featured watches, vehicle components, or other mobile accessories. Such mobile devices typically include the capability to acquire reference data, such as location, temperature, altitude, and the like. For example, mobile devices often include location tracking systems so that the mobile devices can be located relative to network communication nodes. Some mobile devices can obtain multiple forms of data. For example, some mobile devices include a camera, microphone, heart monitor, and/or other recording device to capture an image, a video clip, an audio clip, a measured physical characteristic, or other data that is sometimes referred to as primary process data or primary data. Some of these combination mobile devices can associate the recorded primary process data with a location at the time the primary process data is captured. Other such combination mobile devices do not have this capability.
Even if the mobile device includes a primary process data recording device, many people also use a separate primary recording device, such as a separate digital camera, video recorder, audio recorder, bar code detection recorder, weather sensor recorder, diagnostic instrument sensor recorder, and the like. The separate primary process data recording devices may have higher resolution and/or other features not provided by a combination device that incorporates a primary process data recording device into the mobile device. In addition, some people use a separate primary data recording device, because their mobile device does not include a primary process data recording device. Separate primary process data recording devices often do not include a reference data system, such as a location tracking system. However, separate primary process data recording devices often include a time tracking system, and associate a date and time with recorded primary process data. For example, many digital cameras can apply a date and time stamp to images.
Some users also wish to associate reference data, such as location information, with the captured primary process data from their separate primary process data recording device or from their mobile device that does not already have the capability to make the association. Some systems enable a user to transfer their primary process data, such as images, to a general purpose client computing device, such as a personal computer (PC), and separately transfer a log file of references data, such as reference data, to the client computing device. Using a client-based program, these client systems enable the user to individually select and manipulate primary process data to associate the primary process data with the reference data, such as reference data. However, if the user wishes to share the primary process data with other users through a network, such as through a shared photo server, the reference data (e.g., reference data) is typically lost or not recognized by the shared server when the user uploads the primary process data.